Since their inception in 2008, the Armchairs have a cultivated a pranksterish reputation. So much so, it seems, that when the Philly zany-rock quartet announced their breakup on April 1, more than a few fans suspected a hoax — loudly calling a bluff on the band’s Facebook page. The Armchairs themselves confirmed these suspicions at a subsequent West Philly show, explaining from the stage that it was all “just a joke.”
But this weekend the band is going ahead with their farewell show at Johnny Brenda’s, and frontman Andy Moholt is adamant that they are, in fact, calling it quits: “Yes, this actually is our last show — really,” he says. “We’ve tried to cultivate this whole mystique around the band from the beginning. I always want the audience to leave our shows not being totally sure what they just saw. So we wanted to make our last hurrah in that same fashion.”
Over the last three-plus years, the Armchairs have diligently pursued their own distinctive brand of songwriting, fusing psychedelic melodies with their trademark quirky narrative lyrics.
That is, until now.
“It kind of turned into a job. We were taking it really seriously — and we were getting better, but it wasn’t as much fun,” says Moholt. “But we still had a couple shows booked, so we were like, ‘Yeah, f— it, might as well have one last party.’”
